# An integrated vascular MR imaging suite in brain diseases

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $548,350

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract:
 Cerebrovascular imaging has a broad impact in a variety of brain disorders, including cerebrovascular
diseases such as stroke, arterial stenosis, Moymoya disease, small vessel diseases, and vascular dementia,
but also in other neurological conditions such as brain tumor and traumatic brain injury. Current clinical practice
of cerebrovascular imaging requires multiple scans and, in some cases, multiple visits in order to obtain a
complete assessment of the brain’s vascular health that includes perfusion, hemodynamic parameter, and flow
reserve. This limitation increases patient burden and significantly escalates the cost of care. Therefore, the
goal of the present project is to develop novel methods to perform an integrated vascular (iVas) imaging that
provides all relevant physiological information in a single scan (<10 minutes).
 The proposed iVas-MRI technique will apply concomitant O2 and CO2 gas inhalation (but with different
timing) and will simultaneously measure cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), bolus
time-to-peak (TTP), and functional connectivity networks from the same dataset. Aim 1 will develop three key
components of the iVas-MRI technique, specifically concomitant O2 and CO2 gas-inhalation paradigm, high
spatial-resolution MRI pulse sequence, and multi-parametric data processing algorithm. A cloud-based
computation platform will also be developed for standardization of the analysis and future dissemination of the
technique. Aim 2 will conduct validation and multi-vendor assessment of the iVas-MRI technique. We will
compare results of the iVas-MRI technique to those of standard techniques and will examine across-vendor
reproducibility of the proposed technique by scanning each participant on three MRI systems manufactured by
General Electric, Philips, and Siemens, respectively. Aim 3 will apply the technique in patients with Moyamoya
disease and study its potential value in both the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of this condition. We will
first examine the utility of iVas-MRI in predicting clinical outcomes in a cross-sectional setting. Then, through
serial MRIs, we will examine the utility of iVas-MRI in differentiating treatment benefits of two most commonly
performed surgical procedures in Moyamoya patients, specifically direct versus indirect bypass surgery.
 The long-term impact of this work on clinical practice is that patients with cerebrovascular diseases will
have their vascular imaging scan done in just one visit of less than 10 minutes (as opposed to multiple visits
and several scans). Additionally, patients who are allergic to conventional contrast agent will have access to an
alternative contrast agent (i.e. O2 and CO2 gases) for their vascular imaging needs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9839691
- **Project number:** 5R01NS106702-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Hanzhang Lu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $548,350
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9839691

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9839691, An integrated vascular MR imaging suite in brain diseases (5R01NS106702-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9839691. Licensed CC0.

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